System and method providing flow-through private label card acquisition

ABSTRACT

The disclosed embodiments include methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for providing offers for merchant accounts. The disclosed embodiments include, for example, a system for providing offers for accounts associated with a merchant. The system may be configured to receive a product identifier from a consumer, the product identifier identifying a product available from a merchant. The system may also determine whether the consumer has a current financial service account associated with the merchant. Further, the system may determine one or more incentives to offer the consumer, the one or more incentives being based at least in part on the product identifier. The system may also generate an invitation to apply for a new financial service account associated with the merchant when the consumer does not have a current financial service account associated with the merchant, communicate the invitation to apply to the consumer, and award the one or more incentives to the consumer based on a response to the invitation to apply.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 61/828,062, filed May 28, 2013, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Financial service account products have become so universally well-knownand ubiquitous that they have fundamentally changed the manner in whichfinancial transactions and dealings are viewed and conducted in societytoday. For example, credit card products are most commonly representedby plastic card-like members that are offered and provided to customersthrough credit card issuers (such as banks and other financialinstitutions). With a credit card or similar financial service accountproduct, an authorized customer or cardholder is capable of purchasingservices and/or merchandise without an immediate, direct exchange ofcash. With each purchase, the cardholder incurs debt which thecardholder may thereafter pay upon receipt of a monthly or otherwiseperiodic statement. In most cases, the cardholder will have the optionto either fully pay the outstanding balance or, as a matter of necessityor choice, defer at least a portion or the balance for later paymentwith accompanying interest or finance charges for the period duringwhich payment of the outstanding debt is deferred (also referred to as arevolving charge credit line).

Credit card issuers (such as banks and other financial institutions)usually provide general purpose credit cards that may be used for aplurality of different goods and services and with a wide variety ofmerchants. For example, a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Dinner'sClub are examples of general purpose credit cards. Since general purposecredit cards are intended for “general use” by a cardholder, they aretypically not associated with a single merchant.

Some credit card issuers or merchants issue private label credit cards(e.g., a Sears Charge Card) for use exclusively with a merchant's goodsand/or services. Such private label credit cards may be issued tocustomers of the merchant to provide an incentive to purchase the goodsand/or services of the merchant. Private label credit cards may beissued with different types of terms and conditions. For example, aprivate label credit card may include a private label credit line with apredetermined credit limit and the possibility of deferring payment onan outstanding balance with a finance or interest charge (e.g., arevolving credit line). A private label credit card may also include acharge account that requires the cardholder to pay the balance in fullat the end of each month or the card may include an installment line ofcredit where the cardholder is required to make a fixed, periodicpayment to the merchant (or the merchant's representative) until theinstallment debt is paid.

Merchants offering private label cards, in some cases, provideincentives to consumers to apply for the private label card. Forexample, a merchant may offer a one-time discount on a purchase made bythe merchant if the consumer applies, and is approved, for the privatelabel card. Private label cards offer advantages to merchants as theycan be an additional source of revenue through interest collected on theaccount and/or provide opportunities to direct market to consumers byusing data associated with the private label accounts, such as theconsumers' mailing addresses, email addresses, and spending habits.

SUMMARY

Disclosed embodiments include methods, systems, and articles ofmanufacture configured to, for example, provide flow-through financialservice account acquisition, such as for example, private labelfinancial service accounts.

The disclosed embodiments include, for example, a system for providingoffers for accounts associated with a merchant. The system may beconfigured to receive a product identifier from a consumer, the productidentifier identifying a product available from a merchant. The systemmay also determine whether the consumer has a current financial serviceaccount associated with the merchant. Further, the system may determineone or more incentives to offer the consumer, the one or more incentivesbeing based at least in part on the product identifier. The system mayalso generate an invitation to apply for a new financial service accountassociated with the merchant when the consumer does not have a currentfinancial service account associated with the merchant, communicate theinvitation to apply to the consumer, and award the one or moreincentives to the consumer based on a response to the invitation toapply.

The disclosed embodiments may also include a computer-implemented methodfor providing offers for accounts associated with a merchant. In oneaspect, the method may include receiving, by one or more processors, aproduct identifier from a consumer. The product identifier may identifya product available from a merchant. The method may also includedetermining, by the one or more processors, whether the consumer has acurrent financial service account associated with the merchant. Further,the method may include determining, by one or more processors, one ormore incentives to offer the consumer. The one or more incentives may bebased, at least in part, on the product identifier. The method may alsoinclude generating, by one or more processors, an invitation to applyfor a new financial service account associated with the merchant whenthe consumer does not have a current financial service accountassociated with the merchant. The method may also include communicating,by one or more processors, the invitation to apply to the consumer, andawarding, by one or more processors, the one or more incentives to theconsumer based on a response to the invitation to apply.

In one embodiment, the disclosed embodiments may be configured to allowa consumer to send, via a client device, a product identifier thatidentifies a product available from a merchant to an incentive providersystem. The incentive provider system may determine one or moreincentives based on the product identifier. When the consumer does nothave a financial service account with the merchant, the incentiveprovider system may generate an invitation to apply for a accountassociated with the merchant. Upon approval of the consumer'sapplication, the incentives may be awarded to the consumer's newlyformed financial service account.

In certain aspects, the disclosed embodiments may be configured to allowa consumer, via a client device, to electronically collect productidentifier information for a product while at the merchant's location,and send, via the client device, the product identifier information tothe incentive provider system while at the merchant location. In furtherembodiments, a financial service provider system may receive theapplication request for the new financial service account, process therequest, and provide an approval response to the consumer in near-realtime, such as, for example, in a time frame such that the consumer mayuse the new financial service account to use the incentives while at themerchant location.

In some embodiments, the incentives may include discounts for theproduct available from the merchant or for discounts on a related secondproduct also available from the merchant. More than one incentive mayapply to a product. In certain aspects, the disclosed embodiments mayuse incentive criteria to determine which incentives to offer to theconsumer. For example, the disclosed embodiments may analyze theidentity of the consumer and the consumer's credit worthiness todetermine which incentive to offer to the consumer.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the disclosed embodiments, as claimed.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate disclosed embodiments and,together with the description, serve to explain the disclosedembodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system, consistent withdisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another exemplary system, consistent withdisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of another exemplary system, consistent withdisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an incentive providing process, consistent withdisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an incentive determination process, consistentwith disclosed embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the disclosed embodiments,examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whereverconvenient, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Currently, when merchants offer an incentive to apply for a credit card,the incentive is typically the same across all purchases. For example, atypical incentive might be for a merchant to offer a 10% discount on theconsumer's total purchase when the consumer applies for the merchant'sprivate label card. One disadvantage with this incentive system is thatwhen consumers make a small purchase, the incentive does not entice theconsumer to apply for the private label card. For example, if a consumermakes a $50 purchase, a 10% discount would only result in $5 of savingsfor the consumer, and the consumer may not consider the $5 of savingsworth the effort required to apply for private label card. The consumermay delay applying for the private label card until she makes a largerpurchase, but in some cases, the consumer delays applying for the cardindefinitely, thereby resulting in a wasted opportunity for the merchantto get another private label card member.

Additionally, consumers may not be enticed by the incentive to open aprivate label credit account with the merchant because the incentive isonly a one-time incentive. As a result, consumers may not feel theone-time incentive is attractive enough to open a new credit line withan interest rate that may be higher than their other credit lines andcan only be used with the merchant. In addition, while one-timeincentives may encourage consumers to apply for the private label card,they do not encourage frequent use. As a result, merchants and thefinancial service providers that manage private label credit cardaccounts may miss opportunities to earn interest revenue or collectspending data that can be leveraged for marketing efforts.

In addition, when consumers do take advantage of the incentive offeredby the merchant and apply for the private label card, sales personnelmust take the time to submit the consumer's application to the financialservice provider servicing the private label card. Typically theincentive is offered to the consumer during a purchase transaction. As aresult, the processing of other consumers' transactions may be delayedwhile the sales personnel is helping the first consumer apply for theprivate label card, which may cause irritation and possible loss sales.Merchants may divert (or during busy seasons even hire additional) salespersonnel to handle the private label card application or other consumerpurchase transactions, but such a tactic introduces inefficiencies asdiverted sales personnel must change tasks on-demand.

The disclosed embodiments include, for example, a system and methodproviding flow-through financial service account acquisition, such as aprivate label account acquisition. While examples of the disclosedembodiments are described in the context of a private label card (e.g.,credit card, rewards card, etc.), the disclosed embodiments are notlimited to such types of financial service account. The disclosedembodiments may provide methods and systems for providing flow-throughaccount acquisition that involve other types of financial serviceaccounts, such as general purpose credit card accounts, debit accounts,checking or savings accounts, or any other type of financial serviceaccount that may be provided and used in the manner consistent with thedisclosed embodiments.

In one aspect, incentives for a private label card (or any other typesof financial service account) may be determined based on a product thatis of interest to a consumer. A consumer may provide a product code to afinancial service provider offering a private label account for amerchant. In some embodiments, the consumer may scan a product code,such as a UPC bar code or QR code, corresponding to a particular productusing a client device, such as a mobile device (e.g., tablet, smartphone, PDA, etc.). In other aspects, the client device may be configuredto use other types of technologies and processes to electronicallycollect product identification information, such as near fieldcommunications, radio frequency communications, blue tooth technologies,etc. The product code may include product identification information,such as the product's stock keeping unit (SKU) number. The disclosedembodiments may use the product identification information to determinewhat incentive to provide to the consumer. If the consumer already holdsa private label card (or other type of financial service account) forthe merchant, the incentive may be designed to entice the consumer topurchase the product for which information was collected, or a secondproduct that is related to the product for which information wascollected. If the consumer does not hold a private label card, theincentive may be designed to entice the consumer to apply for theprivate label card. The incentive may be a discount for the product, afree product, a discount on a total purchase, or a discount on a relatedproduct.

In some embodiments, when the consumer does not have a private labelcard and scans a product code with her mobile device, the disclosedembodiments may be configured to automatically determine, generate andprovide to the consumer, via a client device, an invitation to apply forthe private label credit card account via an electronic message. Forexample, the product code may contain information to redirect processingto a website or mobile application to being the application process.Once redirected, the consumer may apply for the private label card usingher client device (e.g., mobile device), and need not involve salespersonnel.

According to some embodiments, when the consumer is presented with anincentive, either to apply for the private label card, or to use theprivate label card, she has an opportunity to accept the incentive andapply it to a purchase. In some embodiments, scanning the product codemay redirect the consumer, via a client device, to a website hosted bythe merchant or a mobile application offered by the merchant, andproduct details and the incentive are displayed. The consumer can thenaccept the incentive using her client device. In some embodiments, thepurchase is completed using the consumer's private label credit cardaccount (in some cases, newly acquired) and the order may be processedby shipping the product to the shipping address associated with theconsumer's private label credit card account, or some other shippingaddress provided by the consumer. In certain embodiments, the purchasetransaction for the new product may be initiated, performed, and/orprocessed using one or more processes and components/systems disclosedin provisional patent application No. 61/828,015, entitled SYSTEMS ANDMETHODS FOR OFFERING PRODUCTS USING LINKED TRANSACTIONS, filed on May28, 2013, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference inits entirety, including the drawings. In some embodiments, when thepurchase is completed, the consumer may be provided with an electronicreceipt, and the consumer can take delivery of the purchased item at themerchant's location (e.g., the merchant's brick and mortar store front).

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 100 for performing oneor more operations consistent with the disclosed embodiments. In oneembodiment, system 100 may include one or more financial serviceprovider system 110, one or more incentive provider system 130, one ormore client devices 150, one or more merchant systems 160, and a network140. The components and arrangement of the components included in system100 may vary. Thus, system 100 may include fewer or additionalcomponents that perform or assist in the performance of one or moreprocesses consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

One or more components of system 100 may be computing systems configuredto provide flow-through private label card acquisition using incentives.As further described herein, components of system 100 may include one ormore computing devices (e.g., computer(s), server(s), etc.), memorystoring data and/or software instructions (e.g., database(s), memorydevices, etc.), and other known computing components. In someembodiments, the one or more computing devices are configured to executesoftware instructions stored on one or more memory devices to performone or more operations consistent with the disclosed embodiments.Components of system 100 may be configured to communicate with one ormore other components of system 100, including financial serviceprovider system 110, incentive provider system 130, client devices 150,and/or merchant system 160. In certain aspects, users may operate one ormore components of system 100 to initiate one or more operationsconsistent with the disclosed embodiments. In some aspects, the one ormore users may be employees of, or associated with, the entitycorresponding to the respective component(s) (e.g., someone authorizedto use the underlying computing systems or otherwise act on behalf ofthe entity). In other aspects, the consumer may not be an employee orotherwise associated with underlying entity. In still other aspects, theuser may itself be the entity associated with the respective component(e.g., consumer 152 operating client device 150).

Financial service provider system 110 may be a system associated with afinancial service provider, such as a bank, credit card issuer, creditbureau, credit agency, or other entity that generates, provides,manages, and/or maintains financial service accounts for one or moreusers. Financial service provider system 110 may generate, maintain,store, provide, and/or process financial data associated with one ormore financial service accounts. Financial data may include, forexample, financial service account data (e.g., financial service accountidentification data, financial service account attribute data (e.g.,account balance, available credit, existing fees, reward points, anduser profile information), financial service account transaction data(e.g., transaction dates, transaction amounts, transaction types,location of transaction, etc.). Financial service provider system 110may include infrastructure and components that are configured togenerate and/or provide financial service accounts such as credit cardaccounts (including private label credit card accounts), checkingaccounts, savings account, debit card accounts, loyalty or rewardprograms, lines of credit, and the like.

Incentive provider system 130 may be a computing system configured toprovide incentives for apply for private label cards and using privatelabel cards consistent with disclosed embodiments. For example,incentive provider system 130 may be a computer system configured toexecute software instructions that automatically determine, generate,and provide incentives. In certain non-limiting aspects, the incentivesmay include discounts on products (e.g., goods or services), freeproducts, or discounts on total purchase made with a merchant. In someaspects, the incentives are associated with a particular product. Forexample, an incentive to apply for a private label card may be 25%discount when applied to a $50 shirt, but it may be a 15% discount whenapplied to a suit. In certain embodiments, incentive provider system 130may be configured to receive product identification information (e.g.,SKU data) and associated incentives from merchant system 160. Incentiveprovider system 130 may also be configured to receive productidentification information from client device 150 and to determine anassociated incentive (e.g., but using the data received from merchantsystem 160 associating product identification information withincentives). Incentive provider system 130 may also provide offers orinvitations to apply for financial service accounts. In some aspects,incentive provider system 130 may also provide an mobile application orhost a website allowing consumers to apply for private label cards.

According to some embodiments, incentive provider system 130 may includea computing system that is affiliated with, or is part of, financialservice provider system 110. Incentive provider system 130 may includeone or more computing devices (e.g., server(s)), memory storing dataand/or software instructions (e.g., database(s), memory devices, etc.)and other known computing components. Incentive provider system 130 maybe configured to communicate with one or more components of system 100,such as financial service provider system 110, merchant systems 160,and/or client devices 150. Incentive provider system 130 may beconfigured to provide incentives for applying for private label cards orusing private label cards via an interface(s) accessible by consumersover a network (e.g., the Internet).

Client device(s) 150 may be one or more computing devices configured toperform one or more operations consistent with disclosed embodiments.Client device 150 may be a mobile device (e.g., tablet, smart phone,etc.), a desktop computer, a laptop, a server or any other type ofcomputing device. Client device 150 may also include a television,e-reader, or any other type of device capable of communicating withother components of system 100 and presenting business ratings content.According to some embodiments, client device 150 may comprise anetwork-enabled computing device operably connected to one or more otherpresentation devices, which may themselves constitute client devices150.

Client device(s) 150 may include one or more processors configured toexecute software instructions stored in memory, such as memory includedin client device 150. Client device 150 may include software that whenexecuted by a processor performs known Internet-related communicationand content presentation processes. For instance, client device 150 mayexecute software that generates and displays interfaces and/or contenton a presentation device included in, or connected to, client device150. Client device 150 may be a mobile device that executes mobiledevice applications and/or mobile device communication software thatallows client device 150 to communicate with components of system 100over network 140. The disclosed embodiments are not limited to anyparticular configuration of client device 150.

Merchant system 160 may be one or more computing systems associated witha merchant that provides products (e.g., goods and/or services), such asa restaurant (e.g., Outback Steakhouse®, Burger King®, etc.), retailer(e.g., Amazon.com®, Target®, etc.), grocery store, service provider(e.g., utility company, insurance company, financial service provider,automobile repair services, etc.), non-profit organization (ACLU™,AARP®, etc.) or any other type of entity that provides goods, services,and/or information that consumers (i.e., end-users or other businessentities) may purchase, consume, use, etc. For ease of discussion, thepresent disclosure may describe exemplary embodiments in the context ofpurchase transactions involving goods from retail merchant systems.However, merchant system 160 is not limited to systems associated withretail merchants that conduct business in any particular industry orfield.

Merchant system 160 may be associated with a merchant brick and mortarlocation(s) that a consumer (e.g., consumer 152) may physically visitand purchase goods and services. Such physical locations may includemerchant system 160, which may include computing devices that performfinancial service transactions with consumers (e.g., Point of Sale (POS)terminal(s), kiosks, etc.). Merchant system 160 may also include back-and/or front-end computing components that store data and executesoftware instructions to perform operations consistent with disclosedembodiments, such as computers that are operated by employees of themerchant (e.g., back office systems, etc.). Merchant system 160 may alsobe associated with a merchant that provides goods and/or service viaknown online or e-commerce type of solutions. For example, such amerchant may sell products via a website using known online ore-commerce systems and solutions to market, sell, and process onlinetransactions. Merchant system 160 may include server(s) that areconfigured to execute stored software instructions to perform operationsassociated with a merchant, including one or more processes associatedwith processing purchase transactions, generating transaction data,generating product data (e.g., SKU data) relating to purchasetransactions, etc.

Network 140 may be any type of network configured to providecommunications between components of system 100. For example, network140 may be any type of network (including infrastructure) that providescommunications, exchanges information, and/or facilitates the exchangeof information, such as the Internet, a Local Area Network, or othersuitable connection(s) that enables the sending and receiving ofinformation between the components of system 100. In other embodiments,one or more components of system 100 may communicate directly through adedicated communication link(s), such as links between financial serviceprovider system 110, incentive provider system 130, client device 150,and merchant system 160.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 200 that may performone or more operations consistent with the disclosed embodiments. Incertain embodiments, financial service provider system 210 may beconfigured to include incentive provider system 230 consistent withdisclosed embodiments, or the incentive provider system may beconfigured to include the incentive provider system (not shown). Forexample, financial service provider system 210 may include incentiveprovider system 230 that is configured to provide incentives in a mannerconsistent with that disclosed above in connection with incentiveprovider system 230 as shown in FIG. 1. Consistent with disclosedembodiments, incentive provider system 230 may use or otherwise directlycommunicate with computing devices of financial service provider system210 (e.g., server 211). Furthermore, incentive provider system 230 maydirectly access memory devices of financial service provider system 210(not shown) to retrieve, for example, financial transaction dataassociated with consumers or merchants to determine appropriateincentives. Incentive provider system 230 may otherwise be configuredand operate similar to incentive provider system 130 disclosed above inconnection with FIG. 1. Similarly, financial service provider system210, client devices 250, and merchant systems 260 may be configured andoperate similar to similarly labeled components disclosed above inconnection with FIG. 1.

Alternatively, the disclosed embodiments may include a financial serviceprovider system 110 that includes an incentive provider system 130. Asanother example, financial service provider 110 may be configured toexecute software instructions that performs the same operations andfunctions as those disclosed herein in connection with incentiveprovider system 130 or 230.

It is to be understood that the configuration and boundaries of thefunctional building blocks of systems 100 and 200 have been arbitrarilydefined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternativeboundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions andrelationships thereof are appropriately performed. Alternatives(including equivalents, extensions, variations, deviations, etc., ofthose described herein) will be apparent to persons skilled in therelevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. For example,incentive provider systems 130, 230 may constitute a part of componentsof systems 100, 200 other than those specifically described (e.g.,merchant system 160, 260 and/or client devices 150, 250) or mayconstitute a part of multiple components of system 100 (i.e., adistributed system). Such alternatives fall within the scope and spiritof the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary system 300 for implementing certainembodiments consistent with the present disclosure. For example, system300 may represent components included with financial service providersystem 110, incentive provider system 130, client devices 150, and/ormerchant systems 160. For instance, financial service provider system110 may be configured with a computer system similar to system 300.Also, for example, merchant system 160 may be configured with a computersystem similar to system 300.

In one embodiment, system 300 may include a computing device (shown asan example server 311) having one or more processors 321, one or morememories 323, and one or more input/output (I/O) devices 322. In someembodiments, server 311 may take the form of a mobile computing device,general purpose computer, a mainframe computer, or any combination ofthese components. Alternatively, server 311 (or a system includingserver 311) may be configured as a particular apparatus, embeddedsystem, dedicated circuit, and the like based on the storage, execution,and/or implementation of the software instructions that perform one ormore operations consistent with the disclosed embodiments. According tosome embodiments, server 311 may comprise web server(s) or similarcomputing devices that generate, maintain, and provide web site(s)consistent with disclosed embodiments. Server 311 may be standalone, orit may be part of a subsystem, which may be part of a larger system. Forexample, server 311 may represent distributed servers that are remotelylocated and communicate over a network (e.g., network 140) or adedicated network, such as a LAN. Server 311 may correspond to server211, or separately to any server or computing device included infinancial service provider system 110, incentive provider system 130,client devices 150, and/or merchant systems 160.

Processor 321 may include one or more known processing devices, such asa microprocessor from the Pentium™ or Xeon™ family manufactured byIntel™, the Turion™ family manufactured by AMD™, or any of variousprocessors manufactured by Sun Microsystems. The disclosed embodimentsare not limited to any type of processor(s) configured in server 311.

Memory 323 may include one or more storage devices configured to storeinstructions used by processor 321 to perform one or more operationsconsistent with the disclosed embodiments. For example, memory 323 maybe configured with one or more software instructions, such as program(s)324 that may perform one or more operations when executed by processor321. The disclosed embodiments are not limited to separate programs orcomputers configured to perform dedicated tasks. For example, memory 323may include a single program 324 that performs the functions of theserver 311, or program 324 could comprise multiple programs.Additionally, processor 321 may execute one or more programs locatedremotely from server 311. For example, financial service provider system110, incentive provider system 130, client devices 150, and/or merchantsystems 160, may, via server 311, access one or more remote programsthat, when executed, perform functions related to certain disclosedembodiments. Memory 323 may also store data 325 that may reflect anytype of information in any format that the system may use to performoperations consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

I/O devices 322 may be one or more devices configured to allow data tobe received and/or transmitted by server 311. I/O devices 322 mayinclude one or more digital and/or analog communication devices thatallow server 311 to communicate with other machines and devices, such asother components of systems 100 and 200.

Server 311 may also be communicatively connected to one or moredatabase(s) 327. Server 311 may be communicatively connected todatabase(s) 327 through network 140. Database 327 may include one ormore memory devices that store information and are accessed and/ormanaged through server 311. By way of example, database(s) 327 mayinclude Oracle™ databases, Sybase™ databases, or other relationaldatabases or non-relational databases, such as Hadoop sequence files,HBase, or Cassandra. The databases or other files may include, forexample, data and information related to the source and destination of anetwork request, the data contained in the request, etc. Systems andmethods of disclosed embodiments, however, are not limited to separatedatabases. In one aspect, system 300 may include database 327.Alternatively, database 327 may be located remotely from the system 300.Database 327 may include computing components (e.g., database managementsystem, database server, etc.) configured to receive and processrequests for data stored in memory devices of database(s) 327 and toprovide data from database 327.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an exemplary incentive providing process 400consistent with disclosed embodiments. According to some embodiments,one or more processes of process 400 may be performed by incentiveprovider system 130 by executing software instructions stored in one ormore memory devices. Incentive providing process 400 may be executed byincentive provider system 130 to provide flow-through private label cardacquisition by providing incentives to apply for or use private labelcards (or other types of financial service accounts) to purchaseproducts in which consumers have expressed interest, for example, byscanning a product code associated with the product.

In some embodiments, incentive provider system 130 may receive a productidentification (step 410). In one aspect, the product identification maybe sent by client device 150 after consumer 152 scans or enters aproduct code at a merchant location. The product code may be a universalproduct code (UPC) barcode or Quick Response Code (QR Code) twodimensional bar code. In some embodiments, client device 150 may executea client side, mobile application that is configured to use an imagescanning device (e.g., a camera) that is part of client device 150 tocapture the product code. In some embodiments, client device 150 maycapture an image of the product code using commercial off the shelf(COTS) software configured to capture product code images, such asGoogle Googles®, QR Reader, Quick Scan, QR Droid™, or any other COTSsoftware configured to scan and interpret UPC bar codes or QR codes.Client device 150 may be configured to perform other types of electronicdata collection processes, such as near field communications, Bluetoothcommunications, RF communications, and the like. In such embodiments, amerchant may provide products with corresponding tags or similarcomponents that interface with such electronic data collection processesimplemented with client device 150.

In some embodiments, the product code has embedded within it metadatathat directs an application executing on client device 150 to redirectprocessing to website or other URL location. The client device 152 maybe redirected to a website where a mobile application for the merchantcan be downloaded and installed on the mobile device for applying forand using the merchant's private label card. The product code may also,in certain embodiments, include a URL location that redirects a webbrowser executing on the client device to a website served by incentiveprovider system 130. The website may provide one or more user interfaceelements for the consumer to view incentives, accept incentives, orapply for and use the private label card consistent with disclosedembodiments.

According to some embodiments, merchants may offer a product code thatis not associated with a specific product, but rather, may be used byconsumers for the sole purpose of applying for the merchant's privatelabel card (or other type of financial service account). For example, atthe merchant's brick-and-mortar retail location, the merchant maydisplay an advertisement for the merchant's private label card. Theadvertisement may include a product code (e.g., a QR code), and offerone or more incentives for applying for the merchant's private labelcard. The advertisement may describe an incentive that is a totaldiscount for all purchases made within a particular time frame (e.g.,that day, week, or month), or it may describe an incentive that is tiedto particular products and can be awarded when consumers scan productcodes and purchase the products at the merchant's store. Accordingly,flow-through for private label card acquisition may occur through theconsumer's scan of a product code related to applying for the privatelabel card, or through the consumer's scan of a product code related toa particular product. In either case, the product code is used by thedisclosed embodiments, in part, to determine the incentive to offer theconsumer for applying for and using the merchant's private label card.

According to some embodiments, the incentive provider system 130 mayreceive product identification from the client device via a custommobile application. The merchant may offer a mobile application that isspecifically designed to scan the merchant's product codes and provideincentives to its private label credit card account holders or thoseapplying for private label credit card accounts. For example, Store Amay offer a mobile application that can be downloaded through a mobileapplication marketplace (e.g., Apple's App Store®, Google Play®, AmazonAppstore for Andorid) or by scanning a product code available in StoreA's brick-and-mortar store or mail-order catalog. The mobileapplication, when executed by client device 150, may generate a requestthat provides an interface displayed on a display device foridentification information, such as name, address, and phone number.Once downloaded and installed, the consumer may, via client deviceexecuting the mobile application, visit Store A (or view Store A'smail-order catalog) and use the mobile application to scan one or moreproduct codes, and the incentive provider system 130 may receive theproduct information via Store A's mobile application.

According to one embodiment, the incentive provider system 130 maydetermine if the consumer providing the product identification (e.g.,step 410) has a private label credit card account (or other type offinancial service account) with the merchant (step 420). In oneembodiment, where the merchant provides (e.g., via merchant system 160or another system), a mobile application for scanning product codes,consumer identification information obtained when the consumerdownloaded and installed the mobile application can be used by theincentive provider system 130 (performed by incentive provider computer130, for example) to identify the consumer. The incentive providersystem 130 may then use the consumer's identification information todetermine if the consumer has a private label credit card account withthe merchant. In some embodiments, the merchant's mobile applicationinstalled on client device 150 may be linked to the consumer's privatelabel credit card account. For example, the consumer may provide herprivate label credit card account number through the merchant's mobileapplication executing on client device 150. The presence of a privatelabel credit card account number associated with the consumer may beused by incentive provider system 130 to determine if the consumer has aprivate label credit card account with the merchant. In someembodiments, other identification of the consumer may be used. Forexample, the consumer's name, address, phone number, or email addressmay be used to determine whether the consumer has a private label creditcard account for the merchant.

In some embodiments, incentive determination process 400 determines theconsumer has a private label credit card account through a query to theconsumer. For example, after scanning a product code, the client device150 may be redirected to a website hosted by incentive provider system130. The website may display a page that asks the consumer of they havea private label credit card account with the merchant. If so, thewebsite may request additional account information such as the privatelabel credit card account number or login credentials associated with amerchant hosted website or a website hosted by financial serviceprovider for the purpose of managing the consumer's private label creditcard account online. If the consumer responds (via client device 150)that she does not have a private label credit card account with themerchant, then the incentive determination process may determineincentives to offer the consumer and send the consumer an invitation toapply consistent with embodiments disclosed above and below.

According to some embodiments, the incentive provider system 130 maydetermine if the consumer has a private label merchant account (step420). In one example, process 400 may include extracting contactinformation (e.g., a mobile telephone number or email address) fromclient device 150. The disclosed embodiments may use the contactinformation to query a database of financial service provider 110 todetermine if there is a private label credit card account holder with atelephone number or email address matching the extracted information. Ifso, the incentive provider system 130 may direct a query, as describedabove, to the consumer to confirm the account.

When the consumer has a private label account with the merchant theincentive determination process 400 may determine one or more incentivesto provide to the consumer to encourage the consumer to purchase one ormore products from the merchant using the consumer's private labelcredit card (step 430). When the consumer does not have a private labelaccount with the merchant, the incentive determination process 400 maydetermine one or more incentives to provide to the consumer to encouragethe consumer to apply for a private label card and to purchase one ormore products from the merchant using the private label credit card onceapproved (step 430). The incentive determination process will be furtherdescribed with respect to FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary incentive determinationprocess 500 consistent with disclosed embodiments. According to someembodiments, one or more processes of process 500 may be performed byincentive provider system 130 by executing software instructions storedin one or more memory devices. In one aspect, the incentive providersystem 130 receives incentive data (step 510). The incentive data may bereceived from merchant system 150 or, in some embodiments, fromfinancial services provider system 110. The incentive data may include amapping of product identification information to incentives, and may bethe complete data set for all incentives the merchant is offering toencourage the use of the merchant's private label card, or to encouragea consumer to apply for and use the merchant's private label card.

In some embodiments, the product identification information may bedefined as the product's SKU number or some other number capable ofuniquely identifying a product. The incentive may be defined as adiscount for the product identified with the product identificationinformation. For example, if the product identification numbercorresponds to a blue shirt, the incentive may be a discount forpurchasing the blue shirt. In some embodiments, the incentive may bedefined as a discount on a product related to the product identifiedwith the product identification number. For example, if the productidentification number corresponds to a blue shirt, the incentive may bea discount for purchasing a matching pair of pants. Other incentives maybe included in the incentive data, such as, free associated products,buy one, get one free products, total discounts, or loyalty rewardpoints.

Incentive provider system 130 may receive incentive data on a periodicbasis, for example, daily, weekly, or monthly. The incentive data may beprovided on an as-needed basis. For example, the incentive data may bereceived each time a consumer scans a product code. The incentive datamay be provided through an API that the incentive provider system 130exposes to other computer systems, such as financial service providersystem 110 and merchant system 160. The incentive data may be providedas binary data stream, serialized data object, XML object, or in someother form known to those with skill in the art.

In some embodiments, more than one incentive may be defined for certainproduct identification numbers and the incentive data may also includeincentive criteria. The incentive criteria may define when one of aplurality of incentives applies to a particular consumer for aparticular product. In some embodiments, the incentive criteria mayindicate that a first incentive applies for current private labelaccount holders purchasing a particular product, and a second incentiveapplies for non-private label account holders applying for, and using, anew private label credit card account for purchasing the product. Forexample, the incentive criteria may indicate that a 10% discount shouldbe applied to the purchase of an appliance for current private labelaccount holders and a 25% discount should be applied to the purchase ofthe appliance for consumers applying for new a new private label creditcard account.

Incentive criteria may be more granular allowing for a greater varietyof incentives associated with a single product to offer to consumersthat are loyal customers of the merchant or have a strong credithistory. For example, a merchant selling electronics may offer multipleincentives for purchasing a television, such as: (1) a 10% discount forcurrent private label credit account holders that have spent less than$2000 in the last year with the merchant and have also paid theiraccounts on time within the last year; (2) a 20% discount for currentprivate label credit account holders that have spent over $2000 in thelast year with the merchant and have also paid their accounts on timewithin the last year; (3) a 5% discount for all other private labelcredit account holders; (4) a 20% discount for new private label creditcard account holders (e.g., those applying as a result of the incentive)having a credit score above 700 and (5) a 10% discount for all other newprivate label credit account holders.

In some embodiments, the incentive criteria may also include incentivesdefined relative to a competitor. The incentive may be triggered when acompetitor offers the same product at a lower price, and/or theincentive might include beating the competitor's price. For example, aconsumer that is a holder of a merchant's private label credit cardaccount is interested in purchasing a vacuum. The consumer may visit themerchant's brick-and-mortar location and scan a product code associatedwith the vacuum. The merchant may have defined incentive criteria forthe vacuums such a 5% discount is offered to a consumer for purchasingthe vacuum using her private label merchant credit card account, if thevacuum is offered at VacuumsOnline.com at a lower price.

In some embodiments, the incentive provider system 130 determines ifmultiple incentives have been defined for a received product codeidentification (step 520). If not, and only one incentive has beendefined (step 520: YES), the one incentive will be used to encourage theconsumer to purchase the product associated with the sent productidentification information (at step 410). On the other hand, if morethan one incentive is defined (step 520: yes), the incentive criteria isdetermined using the incentive data sent by merchant system 150 or thefinancial services provider system 110 (step 540).

The incentive provider system 130 then applies the incentive criteria todata for the consumer. Based on the incentive criteria, the incentiveprovider system 130 may collect additional information concerning theconsumer that sent the product identification information (e.g., step410). For example, if the incentive criteria is based on past customerpurchases, the merchant system 150 may be queried to determine pastpurchases.

In one aspect, when the incentive criteria is based on prices for theproduct offered by the competition (such as the vacuum example above),the incentive provider system 130 may use the product identificationinformation to search the website of the competitor for the price of theproduct to determine if the incentive should be offered. For example,the product identification information may be a SKU number that is usedby all merchants selling the product. The incentive provider system 130may use the SKU number to search for the product and obtain the price ofthe product available from the competitor.

In some embodiments, the incentive criteria is based on the creditworthiness of the consumer. For example, in the case of a consumerapplying for a new private label credit card account with the merchant,the credit score or other credit worthiness indicator associated withthe consumer may be used to determine the incentive. Accordingly, theincentive provider system 130 may make an inquiry into the customer'scredit. For example, the incentive provider system 130 may queryfinancial services provider system 110 with a soft credit inquiry (i.e.an inquiry not requiring a full credit check), or a hard credit inquiry(i.e., one requiring a credit check) regarding the consumer. In someembodiments, the incentive provider system 130 may make an inquiry intothe customer's credit using a credit bureau computer system (not shown),such as a computer system of Experian, TransUnion, or Equifax, forexample.

Once incentive provider system 130 collects the data necessary to applythe incentive criteria, it compares the data to the incentive criteriato determine which incentive to offer to the consumer (step 550). Oncedetermined, the incentive may be used in a communication to the consumerto encourage the consumer to purchase the product using the privatelabel merchant card as defined below.

Returning to FIG. 4, if the incentive determined at step 430 (e.g.,using the process described with respect to FIG. 5), is for a consumerthat does not have a private label merchant card (step 440: YES), aninvitation to apply for the private label credit card is generated andcommunicated to the consumer (step 443). The invitation to apply mayinclude details concerning the incentive. For example, the invitation toapply may indicate that if the consumer applies for the private labelcard and purchases the scanned product using the newly opened privatelabel card account, they are entitled to a 15% discount on the productassociated with the product identification code scanned by the consumer.The invitation to apply may also indicate that the consumer is entitledto additional discounts for using the private label card on otherproducts for which the consumer scans product codes and purchases usingthe merchant's private label credit card account. In some embodiments,the invitation to apply may indicate that the consumer is entitled to anincreased discount if the consumer has an excellent credit history. Theinvitation to apply may also include any terms and conditions for theprivate label credit card account, or any other information that mustaccompany invitations to apply as required by law.

In some embodiments, the invitation to apply may be communicated to theconsumer through the merchant's mobile application (as described above).For example, client device 150 may display one or more user interfaceswith the details of the invitation to apply and one or more userinterface elements (e.g., text fields, drop down lists, etc.) that maybe used by the consumer to apply for the private label card. In someembodiments, some of the user interface elements may be pre-populatedwith data collected by incentive provider system 130 when the consumerdownloaded and installed the merchant's mobile application on clientdevice 150. In some embodiments, the invitation to apply may bedisplayed in a webpage hosted by incentive provider system 130, or theinvitation to apply may be sent in an email to the customer with one ormore hyperlinks redirecting the consumer to a webpage to apply for themerchant's private label credit card.

When the consumer chooses to accept the invitation to apply, theincentive provider system 130 processes the application for the privatelabel credit card account (step 445). According to some embodiments,incentive provider system 130 may communicate data received from theconsumer's acceptance of the invitation to apply to financial servicesprovider system 110 to process the application. Once financial servicesprovider system 110 processes the application, it may communicate theresults back to the system executing incentive provider system 130(e.g., incentive provider system 130), and if the consumer is approved,also communicate the newly opened private label credit card accountnumber. Once received, incentive provider system 130 may communicate theresults (e.g., approved or denied), including the new private labelcredit card account number to client device 150. In some embodiments,the new private label credit card account number is associated with themerchant's mobile application installed on the client device 150 so thatwhen the consumer uses the client device 150 to purchase products (e.g.,by scanning product codes), the consumer need not enter the new privatelabel credit card account number.

In some embodiments, incentive provider system 130 processes theapplication by using the information provided by the consumer (e.g.,name, address, social security number), to obtain the consumer's credithistory. The consumer's credit history may be obtained through financialservices provider system 110 or a credit bureau computer system (notshown). Once the consumer's credit history is obtained, it may becompared to criteria established by the merchant to determine if theconsumer has an acceptable credit history to be approved for a privatelabel card. If so, a request is sent to financial services provider 110to open a new account and obtain a private label credit card accountnumber. In some embodiments, the new private label credit card accountnumber is associated with the merchant's mobile application installed onthe client device 150 so that when the consumer uses the client device150 to purchase products (e.g., by scanning product codes), the consumerneed not enter the new private label credit card account number.

When the consumer is an existing private label credit card accountholder (step 440: NO), the incentive determined at step 430 (e.g., usingthe process described with respect to FIG. 5) is generated andcommunicated to the consumer (step 447). The incentive may becommunicated through a user interface that is displayed on client device150 executing the merchant's mobile application. In some embodiments,the incentive may be communicated to the consumer using an email addressassociated with the consumer's private label credit card account, or theincentive may be communicated to the consumer using a text message sentto a mobile phone number or short message service address associatedwith the consumer's private label credit card account.

Once the consumer either receives the incentive to purchase the product(at step 447) or the application process for a new private label creditcard account is completed (at step 445), the consumer may purchase theproduct for which she scanned the product code (step 450). In someembodiments, to receive the incentive, the consumer purchases theproduct using her private label credit card account for the merchant.The consumer may use the merchant's mobile application to purchase theproduct regardless of whether the consumer scanned the product code atthe merchant's brick-and-mortar store or the consumer scanned theproduct code from one of the merchant's advertisements or catalogs. Forexample, a consumer may have scanned a product code, received aninvitation to apply, and accepted the invitation to apply using themerchant's mobile application. The application process of the consumermay then flow through to the purchase of the scanned item by using themobile application and the newly acquired private label credit cardaccount number (which has been associated with the mobile applicationexecuting on the consumer's client device). After applying for theprivate label credit card account, the consumer need not enter the newlyacquired account number to complete the purchase, as it has beenassociated with the mobile application.

In some embodiments, when the consumer agrees to purchase the product,incentive provider system 130 receives a message that the consumerwishes to purchase the product, and it may transmit a message containinga purchase order to the merchant system 160 and may also transmit apurchase transaction to financial serviced provider system 110 to creditthe merchant and debit the consumer's private label credit card account.Further, incentive provider system 130 may award the incentive to theconsumer (step 460). For example, when the incentive is a discount onthe purchase of the product associated with the scanned product code,the discount may be applied to the purchase price before the purchasetransaction is transmitted to financial services provider 110. In someembodiments where the incentive is a free product, incentive providersystem 130 may submit a purchase order for the product, or otherwisecommunicate, to merchant system 160 that the free product should bedelivered to the consumer.

The described embodiments provide a system and method for providingflow-through private label card acquisition, i.e., interest in productsflows through to acquiring a private label credit card account, whichflows through to purchases. In operation, the system and method providesincentives to consumers to apply for private label credit cards and useprivate label credit cards to make purchases with merchants.Flow-through using described embodiments can be illustrated in anon-limiting example for explanatory purposes only.

A first consumer enters a merchant's brick and mortar store. The firstconsumer does not have the merchant's mobile application installed onher mobile device and the first consumer does not hold a private labelcredit card account for the merchant. The first consumer sees a pair ofshoes that interest her. The merchant may display in close proximity tothe shoes a QR code and a sign that indicates that incentives may beavailable for the shoes when the shoes are purchased using themerchant's private label credit card account. The first consumer mayscan the QR code using her mobile device. The metadata of the QR codemay direct the first consumer to download the merchant's mobileapplication. Once the first consumer downloads the mobile applicationand registers with the merchant, her mobile device may display aninvitation to apply for the merchant's private label credit card. Theinvitation to apply indicates that if she applies for the merchant'sprivate label credit card she can receive a discount of 15% on the shoesand that the resulting price is lower than that offered onDiscountShoes.com. The first consumer accepts the invitation to applyand applies for the private label credit card. The first consumer isapproved and her private label credit card account information isassociated with the mobile application executing on her mobile device.The mobile application provides the first consumer with the option topurchase the shoes at the discounted price (the incentive price). Thefirst consumer purchases the shoes using the mobile application andelects to receive an electronic receipt so that she can pick up theshoes immediately. The first consumer presents the electronic receipt tosales personnel and receives the shoes.

A second consumer enters the merchant's brick and mortar store. Thesecond consumer does not have the merchant's mobile applicationinstalled on his mobile device and the second consumer does not hold aprivate label credit card account for the merchant. The second consumersees a pair of pants that interest him. The merchant may display inclose proximity to the pants a QR code and a sign that indicates thatincentives may be available for the pants when the pants are purchasedusing the merchant's private label credit card account. The secondconsumer may scan the QR code using his mobile device. The metadata ofthe QR code may direct the second consumer to download the merchant'smobile application. Once the second consumer downloads the mobileapplication and registers with the merchant, his mobile device maydisplay an invitation to apply for the merchant's private label creditcard. The invitation to apply indicates that if he applies for themerchant's private label credit card he can receive a discount of 20% onthe pants and a free blue shirt. The second consumer accepts theinvitation to apply and applies for the private label credit card. Thesecond consumer is approved and his private label credit card accountinformation is associated with the mobile application executing on hismobile device. The mobile application provides the second consumer withthe option to purchase the pants at the discounted price and receive thefree shirt (the incentive price). The second consumer purchases thepants using the mobile application. The second consumer elects to havethe pants and shirt shipped to his home address as he is currently onvacation.

A third consumer enters the merchant's brick and mortar store. The thirdconsumer already has the merchant's mobile application installed on hismobile device and the third consumer has a private label credit cardaccount for the merchant. The third consumer sees a suit that interestshim. The merchant may display in close proximity to the suit a QR codeand a sign that indicates that incentives may be available for the suitwhen the suit is purchased using the merchant's private label creditcard account. The third consumer may scan the QR code using his mobiledevice and the merchant's mobile application. A sale price exclusive toprivate label card members of $400 for the suit, when the suit ispurchased using the private label card, is displayed on a user interfaceof the mobile application. The user interface also lists two othercompetitors' prices for the suit that are higher than $400. The thirdconsumer elects to purchase the suit for $400 using the mobileapplication executing on his mobile device. The $400 is charged to hisprivate label credit card account. The third consumer elects to have thesuit delivered to a shipping address that is associated with his privatelabel credit card account.

The above examples are non-limiting and are provided for explanatorypurposes only. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from consideration of the specification and practice of thedisclosed embodiments. It is intended that the specification andexamples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spiritof the disclosed embodiments being indicated by the following claims.Furthermore, although aspects of the disclosed embodiments are describedas being associated with data stored in memory and other tangiblecomputer-readable storage mediums, one skilled in the art willappreciate that these aspects can also be stored on and executed frommany types of tangible computer-readable media, such as secondarystorage devices, like hard disks, floppy disks, or CD-ROM, or otherforms of RAM or ROM. Accordingly, the disclosed embodiments are notlimited to the above described examples, but instead is defined by theappended claims in light of their full scope of equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: one or more memory devicesstoring software instructions; and one or more processors configured toexecute the software instructions to: receive, at an incentive providersystem, over a communications network, a product identifier from amobile application running on a mobile computing device, the mobileapplication being previously downloaded and installed on the mobilecomputing device and being associated with a merchant system of amerchant, the merchant system being distinct from the incentive providersystem, the product identifier identifying a product available from themerchant and acquired by the mobile application from the merchant systembased on a scan of a product code using an image scanning device on themobile computing device; transmit, by the incentive provider system, aquery to a financial service provider system of a financial serviceprovider, the financial service provider system being distinct from theincentive provider system, the query comprising information related tothe product identifier and a consumer's identity information associatedwith the mobile application; receive, by the incentive provider system,from the financial service provider in response to the query, anindication that the consumer does not have a current financial serviceaccount associated with the merchant, the financial service accountbeing provided by the financial service provider distinct from themerchant; determine, based on the indication, by the incentive providersystem, one or more incentives to offer the consumer to apply for a newfinancial service account at the financial service provider system, thenew financial service account being associated with the merchant, theone or more incentives being targeted at the consumer based at least inpart on a purchase at the merchant of the product associated with theproduct identifier using the mobile application and the new financialservice account; generate, by the incentive provider system,instructions for automatically displaying, in an interface of the mobileapplication, a user interface element and an invitation to apply for thenew financial service account at the financial service provider system,the invitation identifying the one or more incentives; transmit, by theincentive provider system, over the communications network, theinstructions to automatically display the user interface element and theinvitation in an interface of the mobile application, the user interfaceelement being pre-populated with data collected by the incentiveprovider system when the mobile application was downloaded and installedon the mobile device, the invitation enabling the consumer to apply,using the mobile application associated with the merchant system andwithout leaving the mobile application, for the new financial serviceaccount provided by the financial service provider; automatically link,by the incentive provider system, the new financial service account withthe mobile application, the linking enabling the consumer to purchasethe product using the mobile application and the new financial serviceaccount; and transmit, by the incentive provider system, to thefinancial service provider system, commands to apply the one or moreincentives to a transaction using the new financial service account,responsive to receiving a request initiated from the mobile applicationto purchase the product using the new financial service account.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured toapply the one or more incentives based on a determination that theconsumer does not have a current credit account associated with themerchant.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more incentivesare discounts for purchasing the product available from the merchant. 4.The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more incentives are discountsfor purchasing a second product related to the product available fromthe merchant.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein determining one or moreincentives includes selecting at least one incentive based on incentivecriteria.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein determining one or moreincentives includes determining the identity of the consumer and theconsumer's past purchases.
 7. The system of claim 5, wherein theincentive criteria includes determining credit worthiness of theconsumer.
 8. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, over acommunications network by one or more processors of an incentiveprovider system, a product identifier from a mobile application runningon a mobile computing device, the mobile application being previouslydownloaded and installed on the mobile computing device and beingassociated with a merchant system of a merchant, the merchant systembeing distinct from the incentive provider system, the productidentifier identifying a product available from the merchant andacquired by the mobile application from the merchant system based on ascan of a product code using an image scanning device on the mobilecomputing device; transmitting, over the communications network by oneor more processors of the incentive provider system, a query to afinancial service provider system of a financial service provider, thefinancial service provider system being distinct from the incentiveprovider system, the query comprising-information related to the productidentifier and a consumer's identity information associated with themobile application; receiving, over the communications network by theone or more processors of the incentive provider system, from thefinancial service provider in response to the query, an indication thatthe consumer does not have a current financial service accountassociated with the merchant, the financial service account beingprovided by the financial service provider distinct from the merchant;determining, based on the indication, by the one or more processors ofthe incentive provider system, one or more incentives to offer theconsumer to apply for a new financial service account at a financialservice provider system, the new financial service account beingassociated with the merchant, the one or more incentives being targetedat the consumer based at least in part on a purchase at the merchant ofthe product associated with the product identifier using the mobileapplication and the new financial service account; generating, by theone or more processors of the incentive provider system, instructionsfor automatically displaying, in an interface of the mobile application,a user interface element and an invitation to apply for the newfinancial service account at the financial service provider system, theinvitation identifying the one or more incentives; transmitting, overthe communications network, by the one or more processors of theincentive provider system, the instructions to automatically display theuser interface element and the invitation in an interface of the mobileapplication, the user interface element being pre-populated with datacollected by the incentive provider system when the mobile applicationwas downloaded and installed on the mobile device, the invitationenabling the consumer to apply, using the mobile application associatedwith the merchant system and without leaving the mobile application, forthe new financial service account provided by the financial serviceprovider; automatically linking, by the one or more processors of theincentive provider system, the new financial service account with themobile application, the linking enabling the consumer to purchase theproduct using the mobile application and the new financial serviceaccount; and transmitting, by the one or more processors of theincentive provider system, to the financial service provider system,commands to apply the one or more incentives to a transaction using thenew financial service account, responsive to receiving a requestinitiated from the mobile application to purchase the product using thenew financial service account.
 9. The method of claim 8, whereinapplying the one or more incentives includes: accepting, from theconsumer, an application for the new financial service account; anddetermining that the consumer does not have a current financial serviceaccount associated with the merchant.
 10. The method of claim 8, whereinthe one or more incentives are discounts for purchasing the productavailable from the merchant.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the oneor more incentives are discounts for purchasing a related secondproduct, the related second product being related to the productavailable from the merchant.
 12. The method of claim 8, whereindetermining one or more incentives includes selecting at least oneincentive based on incentive criteria.
 13. The method of claim 8,wherein determining one or more incentives includes determining theidentity of the consumer and the consumer's past purchases.
 14. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the incentive criteria includes determiningcredit worthiness of the consumer.
 15. A non-transitory computerreadable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or moreprocessors of an incentive provider system, causes the one or moreprocessors to perform operations comprising: receiving, at an incentiveprovider system, over a communications network, a product identifierfrom a mobile application running on a mobile computing device, themobile application being previously downloaded and installed on themobile computing device and being associated with a merchant system of amerchant, the merchant system being distinct from the incentive providersystem, the product identifier identifying a product available from themerchant and acquired by the mobile application from the merchant systembased on a scan of a product code using an image scanning device on themobile computing device; transmitting, by the incentive provider system,a query to a financial service provider system of a financial serviceprovider, the financial service provider system being distinct from theincentive provider system, the query comprising information related tothe product identifier and a consumer's identity information associatedwith the mobile application; receiving, by the incentive providersystem, from the financial service provider in response to the query, anindication that the consumer does not have a current financial serviceaccount associated with the merchant, the financial service accountbeing provided by the financial service provider distinct from themerchant; determining, based on the indication, by the incentiveprovider system, one or more incentives to offer the consumer to applyfor a new financial service account at a financial service providersystem, the new financial service account being associated with themerchant, the one or more incentives being targeted at the consumerbased at least in part on a purchase at the merchant of the productassociated with the product identifier using the mobile application andthe new financial service account; generating, by the incentive providersystem, instructions for automatically displaying, in an interface ofthe mobile application, a user interface element and an invitation toapply for the new financial service account at the financial serviceprovider system, the invitation identifying the one or more incentives;transmitting, by the incentive provider system, over the communicationsnetwork, the instructions to automatically display the user interfaceelement and the invitation in an interface of the mobile application,the user interface element being pre-populated with data collected bythe incentive provider system when the mobile application was downloadedand installed on the mobile device, the invitation enabling the consumerto apply, using the mobile application associated with the merchantsystem and without leaving the mobile application, for the new financialservice account provided by the financial service provider;automatically linking, by the incentive provider system, the newfinancial service account with the mobile application, the linkingenabling the consumer to purchase the product using the mobileapplication and the new financial service account; and transmitting, bythe incentive provider system, to the financial service provider system,commands to apply the one or more incentives to a transaction using thenew financial service account, responsive to receiving a requestinitiated from the mobile application to purchase the product using thenew financial service account.
 16. The non-transitory computer readablemedium of claim 15, wherein applying the one or more incentivesincludes: accepting, from the consumer, an application for the newfinancial service account; and determining that the consumer does nothave a current financial service account associated with the merchant.17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein theone or more incentives are discounts for purchasing the productavailable from the merchant.
 18. The non-transitory computer readablemedium of claim 15, wherein the one or more incentives are discounts forpurchasing a related second product, the related second product beingrelated to the product available from the merchant.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein determiningone or more incentives includes selecting at least one incentive basedon incentive criteria.
 20. The non-transitory computer readable mediumof claim 15, wherein determining one or more incentives includesdetermining the identity of the consumer and the consumer's pastpurchases.